Meet Heather Zvirgzdins of Chaos in Focus Photography in East Valley

Today we’d like to introduce you to Heather Zvirgzdins.

Heather, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I feel like I have always been a creative person. I have an eye for details, ideas for days, and can generally see the big picture. My husband bought me a camera in 2013 for Christmas. I took a private lesson, and it just clicked, it was like I found my calling, everything made sense and just felt natural to me. I began by giving free sessions to anyone who would let me in order to build my portfolio and hope to build a small client base. Now, I am booked out months in advance. A ton of hard work, practice, and support from my inner circle is the reason why I am where I am at today.

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
I wouldn’t call it completely smooth, but there haven’t been any major roadblocks either. I feel like I fell into my own style about two years ago. I was doing the normal family pictures, staying in the typical photographer model and I was starting to get bored. Then, I decided I needed to buck up or call it quits. From that point on, I let my creative juices flow and just did some crazy off the wall shots. It was 100% what I needed. I drew the attention of people who thought like me and enjoyed my take on photography. The rest is history.

So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Chaos in Focus Photography story. Tell us more about the business.
I specialize in families and kids. My shoots are fun. We don’t stress, we goof off, and just make a good time out of it. My shoots are total chaos, but that’s real life. Last year, I did a few shots that I was absolutely in love with. I did a Lost Boys themed shoot with six kids under the age of 5. It was just going to be a fun shoot with my girlfriends and their kids at our family cabin, but it took off. People fell in love with those pictures just as much as I did. I entered the Shoot and Share contest for the 1st time last year, and my Lost Boys pictures did amazing. They took 38th and 65th place out of 13,502 photos. I was so proud and beyond excited. I think what sets me apart from other photographers is that I really really try to think outside of the box and be super creative. Nothing is out of reach as crazy as it sounds, I am 100% going to figure out how to do it and crush it.

Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
If I had to start over, I think I would try to be more confident in the beginning. I remember looking at other photographers photos and being like “whoa… they are freaking amazing”. It is so easy to get down and constantly compare yourself to others. I think if I tried to figure myself and my style out, instead of comparing my photos to others, I would have come into my own a lot quicker.

Contact Info:

• Address: 765 E. Morgan Drive Gilbert, AZ 85295
• Website: www.chaosinfocusphotography.com
• Phone: 480-221-0607
• Email: chaosinfocusphotography@gmail.com

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